Good Bible students know that one of the foundational principles of Bible study is to identify the audience to whom the author is addressing.  For example, the Apostle Paul wrote the books of Thessalonians to new believers.   Matthew’s gospel was written to the Jews, while Luke’s gospel was written to the Greeks.  The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah prophesied to the southern kingdom of divided Israel, Hosea and Amos prophesied to the northern kingdom.  Knowing who is addressed allows us to better understand and correctly interpret God’s Word.

In a recent meditation upon Jeremiah 18, I was reminded that, just as a potter re-works the clay to create a more perfect vessel, God re-works His people to make them more perfect vessels for His glory.  In verses 6-10, the Lord confirmed that, as the potter, He can do as He wishes, including uprooting nations that do not renounce evil ways.  He was using the prophet Jeremiah to sound the alarm in Judah (the southern kingdom, including Jerusalem) to turn from evil and do what is right.

The people were stubborn and, in verse 12, replied that they would continue to live as they wanted, following evil desires.

History tells us that God has responded at times to Israel’s hard heart.  The Babylonian captivity and the holocaust are two examples of God’s hand of favor and protection removed.  However, the Potter still values His clay and will create the perfect vessel in the end.  Romans 11 confirms that Israel will never be cast away by the Master Potter, and will indeed be saved in the end (verse 26).

Another passage written specifically to the Jews is the familiar 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says:

[If] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

In each case, context tells us those passages were written to Israel, thus the promises of the passages belong to Israel.

However, are there principles that might be applied to us as believers?  Most certainly!  Though God is not obligated to fulfill promises meant for Israel to us, we may still glean the wisdom of instruction to Israel.

So, let’s go back to Jeremiah 18.  Might God “re-work” us as clay in His hands, by allowing difficult things in our lives?  Yes.  Might God uproot, tear down and destroy a nation or kingdom (or a person!) that refuses to renounce its evil ways? Yes.

Individually and nationally, God is still calling Israel to eternal repentance.  Their evil is no more so than ours or anyone else’s, but they are God’s chosen people and He is jealous for their faithfulness to Him.  One day (during the tribulation) He will save all of Israel (Romans 11:26).  That promise is for Jews, not for anyone else.

But friends, Jeremiah is sounding the alarm for us as well, so let’s learn the lesson of the Potter as He re-works our lives!  Individually and nationally, God’s desire is that we turn to Him.  (He desires that none should perish, but all would have eternal life. 2 Peter 3:9)  As believers, He exhorts us to be ready for His coming.  Individually, we should heed that exhortation.  Nationally, it is a much more difficult proposition, as none of us individually have the power to make that happen.  What we DO have the power to do is repent and pray for our nation.  We can learn from the prayer of another prophet, Nehemiah, who repented on behalf of the entire Jewish nation.  (Nehemiah 1:6)  We can do that!

To close, let’s go back now to the oft-mentioned prayer from 2 Chronicles 7.  Indeed, verse 14 contains the promise that if we humble ourselves, pray and seek His face, God will hear, forgive and heal the land.  If read in context, we see that promise is made specifically to the Jews, not to America!  (In fact, if you read verse 13, you probably don’t want the promise to extend to us, as we have definitely acted in ways that would invoke the punishment mentioned!)  So, though we can’t obligate God to fulfill the same promise to us, we CAN pray according to the principle and ask God to extend His grace and mercy to us!  Pray the prayer, and beseech the God of the universe for favor.  After all, our nation has benefited from the grace and mercy of Almighty God throughout our history.  Let’s lead the charge for national repentance and believe God for extended mercy and grace!